A study on the impact of high-speed rail on the consumption structure of urban and rural residents in China.

Consumption is crucial to individual well-being and national economic development. This study investigates whether high-speed rail (HSR) influences consumption expenditure (CE) and consumption structure (CS) of urban and rural Chinese citizens. Using panel data from 2003 to 2019 and econometric models, this study finds that: (1) HSR significantly increases CE for both urban and rural residents, promotes CS upgrades in rural areas, but inhibits CS upgrades in urban areas.